The price of oil in 2005 will be volatile, says a University of Alabama engineering professor. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, known as OPEC, recently announced a one-million barrel a day cutback in production, which, if enforced, should keep the price above the old target price of about $25 a barrel, according to Dr. Peter Clark, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering at UA.
Every year brings the possibility of the next flu epidemic, or even pandemic, regardless of whether or not a flu vaccine is available, according to a University of Alabama epidemiologist.
The most popular food trends for the upcoming year will be convenience (heat-and-eat) meals, fresh and healthy foods, and larger nutrition bars that serve as meal replacement items, predicts Dr. Ralph Lane, University of Alabama professor of human nutrition.
Proponents of tax cuts should be pleased as additional tax reductions, possibly including a radical shift toward a flat-tax-style income tax, will be proposed in coming months, predicts a University of Alabama professor of political science.
An election will be held in Iraq in late January, but continued violence in that country will prevent a broad-based national election in 2005, predicts a University of Alabama foreign policy expert.
In the coming year, K-12 education will see more parents able to choose the schools their children attend and increases in teacher and administrator shortages, a University of Alabama education expert predicts.
President George W. Bush will have his first opportunity to nominate a Supreme Court justice in the coming year, and that nominee will be an individual who “lives conservative values,” a University of Alabama law professor says.
Alabama voters will get a second chance to remove racist language from the state’s constitution in 2005, and the revised version will be “overwhelmingly approved” during a special referendum, predicts Dr. William Stewart, professor emeritus of political science at The University of Alabama.
Sales of “American-made” cars, many of which are manufactured in the United States by foreign car companies, will be strong in 2005, as will demand for hybrid vehicles, but SUV sales may decline, according to a University of Alabama expert on the automotive industry.
Access, convenience, and demand for quality will impact Americans’ entertainment choices in 2005. Dr. Loy Singleton, professor and chair in The University of Alabama’s Telecommunication and Film Department, predicts an increase in services offered by cable companies and further weakening of the reality-TV show craze.